The one-time mini-grants support projects that promote healthy lifestyle choices by helping people quit using tobacco, eat healthier food, and/or get physically active. Mini-grants are available to almost any type of community group, club or association, municipalities, small businesses or Chambers of Commerce, faith communities or local programs that serve low-income people.

Winners for the application period ending Nov. 15 are:

• American Legion Post 41 of Milo, $4,000, for repair and expansion of the community basketball court located on land owned by the Post. The project will restore the court by grading, repaving and fencing the area. Once that work is completed, the American Legion intends to raise additional funding to expand the area to include a sand volleyball court, a walking trail with outdoor exercise equipment, a picnic area and parking.

• Maine Audubon, owner of Borestone Mountain in Elliottsville Twp., $2,500, for repairs and safety improvements to the Summit Trail and Base Trail on one of the most popular hiking destinations in Maine. The PPHC grant will be used as local matching funds to qualify for a $30,000 grant from the Recreational Trails Program of the Maine Department of Conservation. Work will include installing stone steps and water bars to reduce trail erosion, and adding iron hand rungs near the summit where a steep ledge creates a safety hazard. Borestone hosts between 3,000 and 4,500 hikers each year, with 66% from Maine.

• SAD 41 Wellness Committee, Milo, $1,000, to form a weekly weight-loss support group. The program will be free and open to members of the SAD 41 community. Members will participate in weekly weigh-ins, develop weight loss strategies and share healthy recipes. Funds will be used to purchase scales, weight-loss logs and cookbooks.

• Mayo Regional Hospital Emergency Department, Dover-Foxcroft, $500, to provide "Flupacks" for ER patients with upper respiratory infections. The project will provide resources and education to help patients in need of a lifestyle change to improve their health status. The Flupacks would contain information to help patients quit smoking, educational materials to assist with nutritional choices and exercise, and materials (facial tissues, hand sanitizer) to treat flu symptoms.

The Piscataquis Public Health Council is one of 31 local Healthy Maine Partnerships, working on tobacco prevention and control, physical activity and nutrition, using tobacco settlement funds provided through the Fund for a Healthy Maine.